James C. Kaufman

James C. Kaufman (1974-) is an associate professor at the California State University, San Bernardino, where he is the director of the Learning Research Institute. He received his Ph.D. from Yale University in Cognitive Psychology, where he worked with Robert J. Sternberg. Born in Great Neck, New York, he attended the University of Southern California as an undergraduate.

He is best known for his theoretical contributions to the study of creativity. With Sternberg and Jean Pretz, he developed the propulsion model of creative contributions, outlined in The Creativity Conundrum (Psychology Press, 2002) Sternberg, R. J., Kaufman, J. C., & Pretz, J. E. (2002). The creativity conundrum. Philadelphia: Psychology Press] , and with John Baer developed the Amusement Park Theoretical (APT) Model of Creativity. His latest work, with Ron Beghetto, has explored the idea of expanding traditional conceptions of eminent creativity ("Big-C") and everyday creativity ("little-c") to include "mini-c" -- creativity that is inherent in the learning process -- and "Pro-c" -- creativity at a professional level that has not yet had a historical impact Kaufman, J. C., & Beghetto, R. A. (in press). The Four-C Model of Creativity. Review of General Psychology, in press. ] .

Kaufman's empirical work has focused on a few different key areas. Most media attention has focused on his research on creativity and mental illness. He coined “the Sylvia Plath Effect,” after finding that female poets were more likely to be mentally ill than other writers, in a paper in Journal of Creative Behavior Kaufman, J. C. (2001). The Sylvia Plath effect: Mental illness in eminent creative writers. Journal of Creative Behavior, 35 (1), 37-50 ] , and his work on poets dying young has been featured in the New York Times Lee, F. R. (April 24, 2004). Going early into that good night. New York Times, Arts p, 1, 4. ] , NPR, BBC, CNN, and newspapers and magazines across the world.

Kaufman's written and edited books include Intelligence Applied (with Sternberg and Elena Grigorenko; Cambridge, 2008). Essentials of Creativity Assessment (with Jonathan Plucker and John Baer; Wiley, 2008) and serving as the co-editor of more than ten books, including Creativity Across Domains: Faces of the Muse (with Baer, Lawrence Erlbaum, 2004), Gender Differences in Mathematics (with Ann Gallagher; Cambridge, 2004), The International Handbook of Creativity (with Sternberg; Cambridge, 2006), Creativity and Reason in Cognitive Development (with Baer; Cambridge, 2006), and The Psychology of Creative Writing (with [http://www.scottbarrykaufman.com Scott Barry Kaufman] , Cambridge, in press). He is the Series Editor of the new Psych 101 series from Springer, and is writing Creativity 101 for the series.

He is an active journal editor. He is a founding co-editor on the new journal of the American Psychological Association's Division 10, Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, which began publication in 2006. He is the Associate Editor of the Journal of Creative Behavior, published by the Creative Education Foundation and the APA journal Psychological Assessment. He is the incoming editor of the International Journal of Creativity and Problem Solving (formerly the Korean Journal of Thinking and Problem Solving). He has also served as the Associate Editor of Research in the Schools and has been a guest editor for four special issues, including a special issue of Creativity Research Journal devoted to Ellis Paul Torrance. He has published over 120 papers in numerous books and journals, including American Psychologist, Annual Review of Psychology, Intelligence, Review of General Psychology, Leadership Quarterly, and Psychological Assessment. He received the 2003 Daniel E. Berlyne Award from Division 10 of the American Psychological Association for outstanding research by a junior scholar.

He is the narrator of a documentary about comic book artists called Independents, directed by Chris Brandt.

His parents are psychologists Alan S. Kaufman and Nadeen L. Kaufman.

References

External links

* http://www.psychology.csusb.edu/facultydetail.aspx?id=17 Professional Website